, in Latin Hototnanus, a learned French civilian, was born in 1524,
, in Latin Hototnanus, a learned
French civilian, was born in 1524, at Paris, where his family, originally of Breslau in Silesia, had flourished for
some time. He made so; rapid a progress in the belles
lettres, that at the age of fifteen, he was sent to Orleans
to study the civil law, and in three years was received doctor to that faculty. His father, a counsellor in parliament,
had already designed him for that employment; and therer
fore sent for him home, and placed him at the bar. But
Hotman was soon displeased with the chicanery of the
court, and applied himself vigorously to the study of the
Roman law and polite literature. At the age of twentythree, he was chosen to read public lectures in the schools
pf Paris: but, relishing the opinions of Luther, on account of which many persons were put to death in France,
and finding that he could not profess them at Paris, he
Went to Lyons in 1548. Having now nothing to expect“from his father, who was greatly irritated at the change of
his religion, he left France, and retired to Geneva; where
he lived some time in Calvin’s house. From hence he went
to Lausanne,' where the magistrates of Bern gave him the
place of professor of polite literature. He published there
some books, which, however, young as he was, were not
his first publications; and married a French gentlewoman,
who had also retired thither on account of religion. His
merit was so universally known, that the magistrates of
Strasburg offered him a professorship of civil law; which
he accepted, and held till 1561, and during this period,
received invitations from the duke of Prussia, the landgrave of Hesse, the dukes of Saxony, and even from queen
Elizabeth of England; but did not accept them. He did
not refuse, however, to go to the court of the king of Navarre, at the begining of the troubles; and he went twice
into Germany, to desire assistance of Ferdinand, in the
name of the princes of the blood, and even in the name of the
queen-mother. The speech he made at the diet of Francfort is published. Upon his return to Strasburg, he was
prevailed upon to teach civil law at Valence; which he did
with such success, that he raised the reputation of that
university. Three years after, he went to be professor at
Bourges, by the invitation of Margaret of France, sister of
Henry II. but left that city in about five months, and retired to Orleans to the heads of the party, who made great
use of his advice. The peace which was made a month
after, did not prevent him from apprehending the return
of the storm: upon which account he retired to Sancerre,
and there wrote an excellent book,
” De Consolatione,“which his son published after his death. He returned afterwards to his professorship at Bourges, where he very
narrowly escaped the massacre of 1572: which induced
him to leave France, with a full resolution never to return.
He then went to Geneva, where he read lectures upon the
civil law. Some time after, he went to Basil, and taught
civil law, and was so pleased with this situation, that he
refused great offers from the prince of Orange and the
States-general, who would have draxvn him to Leyden.
The plague having obliged him to leave Basil, he retired to
Montbeliard, where he lost his wife; and went afterwards
to live with her sisters at Geneva. He returned once more
to Basil, and there died in 1590, of a dropsy, which had
kept him constantly in a state of indisposition for six years
before. During this, he revised and digested his works
for a new edition, which appeared at Geneva in 1599, in
3 vols. folio, with his life prefixed by Neveletus Doschius>
The first two contain treatises upon the civil law; the
third, pieces relating to the government of France, and the
right of succession; five books of Roman antiquities; commentaries upon Tally’s
” Orations and Epistles;“notes
upon Caesar’s
” Commentaries,“&c. His
” Franco-Gallia,“or,
” Account of the free state of France,“has been translated into English by lord Molesworth, author of
” The
Account of Denmark." He published also several other
articles without his name; but, being of the controversial
kind, they were probably not thought of consequence
enough to be revived in the collection of his works.